Ink Master 9: Finals

Predictions

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Top 10 Emmy hopes for ‘Game of Thrones’

Now that season five of ‘Game of Thrones” has come to an explosive end, let’s take a look at its top 10 hopes at the Emmys, ranging from the potential for a fifth consecutive bid for Best Drama Series to three chances for a Best Directing nomination. To date, this hit HBO series has racked up 14 wins from 62 nominations.

Best Drama Series (#1)
According to Gold Derby’s official odds — which combine the picks of our Experts, Editors, Users and Top 24 — “Game of Thrones” is in a 3-way tie for this top prize with “House of Cards” and “Mad Men.” While the hit HBO series contended for each of its first four seasons, it lost to “Mad Men” (2011), “Homeland” (2012) and “Breaking Bad” (2013, 2014). However, let’s recall that the fifth TV season was the lucky charm for “Breaking Bad,” “24” (2006) and “The Sopranos” (2004).

Best Drama Writing (#7)
The only episode submitted in this category was the season finale, “Mother’s Mercy.” This savvy move avoids vote splitting and gives this 61-minute jawdropper a greater chance of being nominated. Scripters David Benioff & D. B. Weiss have contended for the past two years in a row, losing first to “Homeland” and then “Breaking Bad.”

Best Drama Directing (#8, #9, #10)
However, vote splitting could be an issue in this category as three episodes were entered. Episode 6 — “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” — was directed by Jeremy Podeswa. Episode 8 — “Hardhome” — was helmed by Miguel Sapochnik. And the Episode 10 finale — “Mother’s Mercy” — was overseen by David Nutter, who shared in the Emmy win for the directing team on “Band of Brothers” in 2002. He also contended in 1995 as a producer of “The X-Files,” for directing an episode of “The Sopranos” in 2006 and with Podeswa in 2010 as part of “The Pacific” directing team. Podeswa was also nominated for “Boardwalk Empire” in 2011.

Tim Van Patten contended in this category in 2011 for “Winter is Coming,” the first episode of “Game of Thrones,” but lost to Martin Scorsese for the “Boardwalk Empire” pilot. And Neil Marshall reaped a bid last year for “The Watchers on the Wall” but was bested by Cary Joji Fukunaga, who oversaw all eight episodes of “True Detective.”

Do you think “Game of Thrones” will win Best Drama Series this year? Average Gold Derby users just like YOU often turn out to be our smartest prognosticators, so it’s important that you give us your predictions. Your picks influence our User racetrack odds, which also factor into our official combined odds.

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